Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fresno, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,894 in Fresno, CA, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Fresno, CA
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Fresno, CA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Fresno, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,894

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fresno, CA and in San Jose

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Fresno, CA and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,894 per month in Fresno, CA vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Fresno, CA $2,894
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $4,460 per month in Fresno, CA vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Fresno, CA $4,460
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $6,026 per month in Fresno, CA vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Fresno, CA $6,026
San Jose $3,857

Fresno, CA costs about 48% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fresno, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Fresno, CA by 116%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.18 $20.18

$12.22 ₡5,510

65.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.5 $70.5

$60.1 ₡27.1K

17.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.12 $14.12

$11.77 ₡5,305

19.97%

Cappuccino

$5.15 $5.15

$4.30 ₡1,939

19.77%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.72 ₡1,226

11.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.84 ₡830

16.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 $6.79

$3.28 ₡1,480

107.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 $9.11

$4.36 ₡1,966

108.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.38 ₡1,074

-52.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.12 ₡1,408

-14.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.41 ₡1,086

93.78%

Eggs

$5.38 $5.38

$3.47 ₡1,564

55.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.02 $11.02

$10.57 ₡4,767

4.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 $9.57

$10.56 ₡4,758

-9.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.58 $15.58

$13.75 ₡6,196

13.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$5.04 ₡2,274

0.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.61 ₡727

26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.59 ₡2,069

-5.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.84 ₡1,731

-15.36%

Potato (1kg)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.77 ₡1,700

110.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$3.76 ₡1,693

-27.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.12 ₡506

117.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.20 ₡1,441

-5.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.19 $12.19

$5.84 ₡2,632

108.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.06 $18.06

$19.73 ₡8,897

-8.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.75 ₡1,240

-20.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.40 $6.40

$3.66 ₡1,650

74.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.12 ₡503

8.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.99 $47.99

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-26.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.46 ₡1,110

68.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.54 ₡692

-1.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.90 $27.90

$8.46 ₡3,815

229.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.55 ₡699

-5.81%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$37.5K $37.5K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

72.70%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$30.6K $30.6K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-12.32%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$238 $238

$94.7 ₡42.7K

151.29%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$53.3 $53.3

$35.11 ₡15.8K

51.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.8 $76.8

$58.6 ₡26.4K

31.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.32 $38.32

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-46.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.97 $41.97

$25.19 ₡11.4K

66.61%

Cinema Ticket

$17.44 $17.44

$7.83 ₡3,532

122.73%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,206 $1,206

$971 ₡437.9K

24.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K $12.9K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-24.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 $60.3

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-15.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.19 $43.19

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-21.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 $97.3

$129 ₡58.2K

-24.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$174 $174

$133 ₡60.0K

30.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,712 $1,712

$934 ₡420.9K

83.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 $1,462

$770 ₡347.2K

89.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,183 $3,183

$1,945 ₡876.7K

63.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,902 $2,902

$1,316 ₡593.5K

120.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,700 $2,700

$2,277 ₡1.0M

18.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,120 $3,120

$1,795 ₡809.1K

73.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,687 $3,687

$1,006 ₡453.5K

266.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

8.62

-25.75%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Fresno, CA: October 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Fresno, CA

$1.5K 50.6%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 47.3% $692

Groceries & Markets

Fresno, CA

$412 14.3%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 3.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fresno, CA

$368 12.8%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 48.8% $180

Eating Out

Fresno, CA

$338 11.7%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 32.6% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Fresno, CA

$169 5.8%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 3.7% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Fresno, CA

$73 2.5%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 20% $15

Getting Around

Fresno, CA

$65 2.2%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 23.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,712 in Fresno, CA versus $934 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 267% higher in Fresno, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Fresno, CA versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $412 vs $399 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fresno, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

02:34 2:34 AM

1 h ahead of Fresno, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,052

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fresno, CA San Jose 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Fresno, CA
San Jose

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Fresno, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Fresno, CA is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,341 per month in Fresno, CA and $2,924 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Fresno, CA and $60.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,894 in Fresno, CA and $1,949 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 48%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Fresno, CA at $2,894. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fresno, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fresno, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.